Story Sensei

I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, on a few quick tips for opening a scene and establishing the point of view character. Establish the Character Viewpoint Start the Scene Quickly in Someone’s Point of View Utilize these tips in establishing the point of view character when opening a scene. In his book, Techniques of the Selling Writer , Dwight Swain writes this about character viewpoint: Viewpoint is the spot from which you see a story. It’s the position and perspective you occupy in order best to savor a fictional experience. Ordinarily, that vantage point is inside somebody’s skin. That is, your reader will live through your story as some specific character experiences it. He’ll see and hear and smell and taste and touch and think and feel precisely what that person sees and hears and smells and what have you. Keep this in mind as you establish character viewpoint—slip your reader into the character’s skin. Choose the Viewpoint Character

I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, on introducing a character in your novel. The Basics of Introducing a Character A Few Main Points For When a Character Steps on the Page Three things to remember when introducing a character, whether the main character or a minor one. Whenever a character makes a “first appearance” in the novel, there are three things a novelist should remember when writing the scene. Create a Strong, Quick First Impression Ideally, the novelist wants the character onstage quickly, without a long paragraph of description. Give a strong first impression without a lot of detail—simply a phrase to anchor the character in the reader’s mind. Here is where a cliché could actually be used, because it’s a quick way to create a colorful impression with few words: “a spunky redhead” or “a one-legged pirate” or “a powerful businessman.” Whatever the writer chooses to create that first impression, make it the most significant aspect of

In my first drafts, I often have a problem in making my characters likeable within the first page or two. Since your reader will probably only give you a page or two in the bookstore, you need to capture their interest fast. I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, with a few tips on how to do that. Create a Relatable Character Use Tips and Tricks to Create Character Empathy in the First Five Pages In the first five pages of a novel, use actions or traits that psychologically cause readers to relate to or like a character very quickly. Most readers—including editors and agents—look at the first few pages to determine if the characters are worth reading about. Writers can utilize certain actions and traits that cause the reader to like the character or relate to him on a psychological level, without knowing anything else about him, and sometimes even showing him doing unsavory things a few pages later. Utilize for Both Sympathetic and Empathetic Charact

I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, on how to take a cliche and make it something wonderful. Tweak a Cliché Into Something Original Take a Tired Phrase and Make It Zing Utilize a writer’s voice, a writer’s brand, phrase additions, and key words to change clichéd phrases into fresh prose. The old saying, “There’s nothing new under the sun” is very true and a death knoll for writers. How can writers come up with fresh prose when it’s all been done before? How can writers avoid using clichés when sometimes there’s no other way to say something? Utilize Your Unique Writer’s Voice There is often a way you say things that is uniquely you—utilize it in your prose. Here’s an example from my book, Single Sashimi : Venus Chau opened the door to her aunt’s house and almost fainted. “What died?” She exhaled sharply, trying to get the foul air out of her body before it caused cancer or something. The last sentence, especially, people have remarked sounds v

I admit, I'm prone to info dumps in my dialogue, especially in my first drafts, and I have to edit them out in my revisions. I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, with some of my tips and tricks. Avoid Info Dumps in Dialogue Strengthen Your Dialogue By Eliminating Telling Eliminating the Info Dump in dialogue will create mystery that keeps your reader riveted while strengthening the prose. In publishing days long past, it wasn’t uncommon to find a character who starts a line of dialogue with the infamous, “As you know ...” For example: Gerald walked into the living room and announced, “Phillip, our mother is at the door. As you know, she ran off twenty years ago with the family lawyer and we haven’t heard from her since.” Today’s readers and publishing industry has moved toward eliminating this technique, which is “telling” and not “showing” the story to the reader. Emulate Real Life In real life, people don’t need to remind their listeners

Sometimes, in my haste to make sure the reader knows something, I'll have a character go on and on in a line of dialogue, and I'll have to edit it out in revisions. I wrote this article, which originally appeared in Suite101. Shorten Your Dialogue Improve Pacing and Add Emotion With More Deliberate Dialogue Often, shorter dialogue lines with more deliberate word choices can improve a scene’s pace and create greater emotional impact. In real life, people don’t often have long speeches. Most of the time, someone will interrupt them—maybe when they pause for breath—or the speaker will purposefully pause for a reaction from the person they’re talking to. It should be the same in your fiction. Contemporary Fiction The dialogue in a present-day novel should be more back-and-forth, give-and-take, which is what real-life dialogue is like. One person says a sentence or two, the other person responds to what they said. A character who goes on and on for a paragraph or two i

Did you know that the right character name can make your manuscript more vibrant or powerful? I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101. Make Great Character Names Add Depth and Emotion By Naming Your Characters Carefully Be judicious in how you name your characters, paying attention to details and not just name meanings, in order to add color, depth, and power to your characters. When naming characters, many writers only pay attention to how a name sounds or what a name means, but there are other things to keep in mind when you name your characters. Choosing a good name and paying attention to certain details can: Add power and depth to a character Make the manuscript less confusing Make the manuscript more polished and professional Create smoother reading pace Evoke an emotional reaction in your reader Choose a Name With Meaning These days, the Internet has many resources to find names and their meanings. Any baby name site will offer almost

I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, about how you can self-edit yourself into more vibrant prose. Strengthen Prose With Judicious Words Be Selective in Word Choices for Vibrant Writing and Strong Writer’s Voice A writer can bump their writing up to the next level and make it sparkle by being careful and thoughtful about each word used. Many times, editors will say that the writer’s “voice” in a manuscript is what catches their attention. Voice is hard to define, even for industry professionals. It’s that intangible something that makes a string of prose unique to the author, and a strong voice is what will make an editor interested in a manuscript. But one thing common to all writers who have strong writers’ voices is that their word choices and phrasing are very unique and vibrant. Whether you have discovered and developed your writer’s voice or not, here are a few tips for polishing your writing to make it stand out more with strong words and br

Here is an example from my own query letter, written for one of my old Asian chick lit novels when I was still unpublished. This was originally published on Suite101. An Example From Real Life Here is a bio paragraph from a real query letter from an author who was unpublished at the time. The credential or bio section of a query letter is important because it lists why the writer is qualified to write the novel being proposed in the query. It also shows the agent or editor the writer’s experience in the publishing industry and in the writing craft. The best way to learn is by example, so here is an example bio paragraphs from a real query letter from the author, who was unpublished at the time she sent this query. There are also comments about each section of the bio paragraph at the end of the example. Example One Here is an example from a query letter this author submitted when still unpublished. The novel was an Asian American chick lit novel. This novel explores the

I just critiqued a query letter and answered a few questions about the credentials paragraph. So I wrote this article, which originally was published on Suite 101. Make Your Bio Powerful and Informative Here are a few tips to make the bio section of a query letter as good as it can be. An important part of query letters is the credential or bio paragraph. It should do two things: 1) Let the editor or agent know why you are qualified to write the novel and its topics 2) Let the editor or agent know that you have publishing credits and writing connections to show you’re not inexperienced in the publishing industry. Show You Are Qualified A writer should show that they are qualified to write a novel’s settings, issues, themes, or character professions. If the novel is about firefighters, a bio should mention the writer is the son of a firefighter or married to one, or is a firefighter himself. If the novel is set in the Michigan upper peninsula, the writer should mention

We're all feeling the financial crunch, but what's an unpublished writer to do when there are so many things you need to buy to develop your craft? I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101. A Writing Career on a Budget Money-Saving Tips for Novelists Here are tips for developing writing skills, improving craft, and taking advantage of resources inexpensively. An unpublished novelist is stuck in a catch-22. He can’t make money until he sells a novel, but he can’t sell a novel until he develops his craft, which usually requires money. Here are some tips for developing your writing craft while limited by a budget. Take Advantage of Free Stuff These days, there are tons of writing articles online that teach the basics of writing. Google is your best friend. There are many websites that have lists of links to free articles. One of my favorites is Resources for Romance Writers . While many of the articles do pertain to romance, much of the informati

Feedback can sometimes be vague, can't it? I wrote an article that might help you improve your story when the feedback is not so helpful. This article originally appeared on Suite101. Increase Character Conflict Make Characters and the Story More Interesting By Increasing Conflict Here are some tips for making a bland or episodic story more interesting by introducing deep character conflicts. Sometimes, a writer will get feedback that the characters are unlikable or uninteresting, or the story is only “okay.” This is usually a good indication that the story needs more conflict. For popular fiction, the best type of conflict involves personal character conflict. Some writers refer to this as “throwing rocks” at your character. This type of internal conflict can also directly impact the external storyline, so you get maximum bang for your writing buck. Conflict will automatically create more interest for readers because they want to see how the protagonist responds unde

This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Knowing Your Characters Some Tips for Getting Into Your Character’s Story Here are some ways to know your character more deeply, which might solve plot or story problems as you write your novel.
 Many times, when a writer has hit a wall when writing their novel, it could be that the writer just doesn’t know the character well enough. It doesn’t take much to hinder the creative process. Even not knowing a character’s preference for vanilla or chocolate ice cream can cramp the flow of words. Not knowing more major things like the character’s deep core values behind their motivations can be equally deadly to a novel’s progress. So whether the writer is someone who plots the story before he/she writes or who just goes at it, exercises for getting to know the character can be done either before or during a novel’s creation. Utilize Character Charts There are several good character charts available on the internet these day

Brainstorming is one of my favorite parts of writing fiction, but I'm very careful to make sure my brainstorming time isn't just time wasted daydreaming. This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Effective Brainstorming How to Make the Most of Collecting Ideas Brainstorming all aspects of a story can be made more effective and efficient with these simple tips. Brainstorming is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal. A writer can brainstorm all aspects of a novel, from large scale to small scale. A writer can brainstorm high level element like theme and premise. A writer can also brainstorm mid level story elements like character personality, external goals, backstory, career. Also story setting, possible villains, etc. A lesser known but equally powerful use for brainstorming is for very small scale elements like a character’s goal for a particular scene, possible character decisions in a scene, variety of conflict or obstacles in a scen

One of my favorite writing books is Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors by Brandilyn Collins. The chapter on subtexting is one of the best I've ever read. Subtexting is a powerful writing tool that isn't used enough by beginning writers. Think about all the times you've said one thing but meant another--that kind of dialogue in your novel can convey layers upon layers of powerful emotional meaning. This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. How to Utilize Subtexting in Dialogue Take Dialogue to a Deeper Level Add subtlety and richness in meaning by incorporating the tricks of cross-talk in dialogue. Subtexting, or cross-talk, is when characters say one thing but mean another. Dialogue doesn’t always need subtexting, but it adds weighty significance to certain dialogues within the story that you might want to emphasize. It can bring emotions to light with even more power than if they were stated. Here is a passage

This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Writing Riveting Dialogue Tips For Taking Dialogue to the Next Level Here are a few key elements needed to make dialogue sparkle. Before, I wrote about how to make dialogue sound more natural , but what if you want to bump your dialogue up to the next level? What if you want to make your dialogue really pop? Dialogue Is War In the words of Randy Ingermanson , “Dialogue is war.” Dialogue should have some form of conflict or tension. The characters don’t have to be shouting at each other, but there should be some sort of tension that keeps the dialogue from being a nice, easy conversation between two nice, easy-going people. Nice, easy-going dialogue is boring. In good dialogue, a character should be fighting for something: fighting to retain information, or fighting to extract information, or fighting to convey information. Don’t make it easy on your characters—make the conversation a battle for at least one of th

This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Writing Natural Dialogue Tips For Making Dialogue Smoother and More Realistic Here are tips for making dialogue flow and sound more natural when a writer has been told the dialogue is stilted. Sometimes a writer will get feedback that sounds something like: “Your dialogue is stilted” or “Your dialogue doesn’t sound natural” or “Your dialogue doesn’t sound realistic.” How to make dialogue sound more natural? Beware the Info Dump “Info dumps” are lines of dialogue that are there solely to inform the reader. For example: “As you know, Jane, our sister Lydia ran off with your ex-lover George and robbed a bank with him last month.” Jane already knows this, and her sister wouldn’t repeat the information to her—instead, she’d speak knowing what Jane already knows. “Doesn’t it pain you?” “Lydia and George? No, don’t worry about me. My relationship with him was over long ago. But the public shame of Lydia’s behavior hu

One thing I never got a chance to talk about in my article on finding your brand is when you want to nail down the basic genre you should write in. I know lots of writers (myself included) who would love to write in several different genres. Before I was published, I had to decide which genre to focus on, which genre I would want to break into publishing in. It's not an easy decision, but I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, that gives tips on how to pick your genre, as well as the reasoning behind why you need to pick one. Tips for Novelists Trying to Determine a Genre For novelists who write a variety of genres, here are a few tips for how they can nail down which one(s) to focus on. While there are many published authors who write in several genres, for an unpublished author trying to break into the publishing industry, it’s good to find one genre to commit to for at least a few books. Why Commit to a Genre? This helps out the editor, who c

Under the post on Writing in different genres , we had a lively discussion on brand. I had more to say that would have made too long a comment, so instead I wrote an article on tips for discovering your writer's brand, which originally appeared on Suite101. Tips for Discovering a Writer’s Unique Niche in the Market A writer’s own particular brand can be hard to discover, but here are a few tips for helping to brainstorm your own unique writing brand. These days, publishing houses often want to see how a writer’s “brand” sets them apart from the thousands of other manuscripts they receive. It’s become more difficult to become published by traditional publishers, and a writer’s unique brand is often what raises them to the top of the slush pile. But it’s equally difficult for a writer to determine what their brand is. Here are a few tips. Read Extensively, Not Just in Your Own Genre. With the lines between genres becoming blurred, it’s important to be well-versed in wha

I recently got a few questions on what episodic writing is. Earlier, I posted the link to an article on episodic writing , but I also wanted to address it myself. In this article, which originally appeared on Suite101, I talk about how to recognize it, and some things to get rid of it. Make the Character Proactive Rather Than Reactive Eliminate episodic scenes by giving the character an External Goal, Obstacles against that goal, and Forward Movement in the story. A story is more than just good writing. A story plot must have forward motion and a sense of movement that pulls the reader along. Sometimes writers will get feedback that their story “lacks purpose” or is “episodic.” What exactly does that mean? Episodic Writing is Reactive Writing in Vignettes. A character needs more than just to fall into an alternate world and face Scary Monsters. He needs to have a purpose and doggedly pursue that purpose. If he simply goes from one Bad Thing to another, the story lacks direc